Rupert is a famously affectionate 70-pound pit bull who's been profiled in several TV, radio, and newspaper articles as the "demonstration dog" of BAD RAP (www.badrap.org ), the Oakland nonprofit that educates the public on the lovability of pit bulls. Despite his celebrity, Rupert was nearly killed early this month when an alarmed police officer shot at him without warning. The bullet missed, but it ricocheted into a living room where it landed two feet away from an infant girl. This article is a composite of interviews with Amber Neiwold (Rupert's owner, and BAD RAP's Vice President) and Donna Reynolds (BAD RAP's Executive Director). The Oakland Police Department was also contacted: A statement from Sergeant Pete Sarna, Chief of Staff for the Chief of Police, is at the conclusion of this column.

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There were movers there, because we were moving to Colorado the next day. The movers were going in and out the front door, bringing in boxes and packing supplies. The front door was open, and Rupert, who is trained to not leave the courtyard, was hanging out with the movers as they came and went. My other dog, Spiro, a medium-sized mixed breed, was with Rupert. My husband had just brought some boxes inside and he was on his way back outside when we heard a shot in the courtyard. There had been no barking, or warning yell from the officer.

(Donna) We were told that when Rupert saw the officer, he started walking towards him. But Rupert never barked; witnesses will verify this.

(Amber) I heard later from Ron -- my neighbor, who walking behind the officer and saw everything -- that the dogs stopped walking towards the officer when he pulled his gun out. That's when the officer pulled the trigger. The reason the bullet missed is because the officer was "leading" the target and the target had stopped.

<snip>

I went back in and found Rupert hiding under the stairs, thankfully unhurt.

A specific type of dog, bred for size, fighting and agression, repeatedly proved unpredictable and violent when it was introduced to the UK, causing a disproportionate number of serious injuries.....and the government addressed the issue.

I cower from the repression.......

In the same way as you're not allowed to keep tigers in your house, you're also not allowed to keep pitbulls.

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